[TomB]

I broke my Tri-Power Table Drive. When my shop was flooded last fall the machine went underwater up to and including the lathe motor. After the water went down I started the motor and ran it for 30 minutes, i.e. long enough to heat it up so that it dried out. It’s not the first motor I salvaged but it was one of the easiest. However, last week I found I had not cleaned something adequately. I went to use the machine put it in gear to move the carriage left, heard a pop and nothing moved. Checked the manual crank (I mostly use the power feed) and found the table would go in and out but it was frozen for left/right moves.

Today I took the table apart and fond that water had seeped down the oil feed and locked the elongated S oil feeds to the ways. A bit of brake cleaner and the crud came off. I can see the S-marks but can’t feel them. The sides of the ways are bit cruddier and I’ll have to take a stone to them.

The part of the fix I don’t understand is the absence of table drive. I have in the past broken gears and the expensive little hubs but his seems different. The belts drive the main spindle and that must have a gear in the headstock cavity that drives an auxiliary shaft that goes back to the drive gears. As it comes into the belt and gear section there is a course spur gear about 1 ¾ inch diameter. That gear is not turning. Under the chuck there is a 2 inch black plastic cap. I assume that if I take that off I can get to shaft. But I don’t have any idea how to go further into the machine. Is there one of you that has taken these machines apart completely that can offer some guidance?

Also I have not changed the oil in the machine since it went under. I’m sure it now includes a bit of water as the sight lever is perhaps 1/8” higher. Is there drain plugs and what should it be refilled with? Thanks in advance.

Tom

[Fast01]

TomB,
Unfortunately, I can help! I say unfortunately because my power feed does not work either. The cause was different than yours, but I imagine the result is the same.

I'm not looking at the machine right now, so I'm posting from memory, but I'll go out tomorrow and snap some pics for you. Basically, what happened to mine is that coarse spur gear you speak of is not pressed on the shaft directly, but slipped over a splined collar that is slipped over the shaft. That collar is some kind of cheap pot metal and will break when too much force is applied. Once it breaks the gear will not drive anymore. I don't know if it was designed that way to prevent damage to the machine in the event of a crash or if it's just a cheap part, but I'm going with the latter! I did not crash my machine and did not ever take an agressive cut that would apply enough force to the gear to break that part. I was a bit luckier than you though, because I still had power feed until I went to swap the change gears to adjust the feed rate. When I pulled that gear off that little collar fell into pieces in my hand! I spoke to JT about it and he said that this has happened before and if I sent him the pieces he would machine me a new one, but I never did send it. I've got steppers on it for CNC and figured I'd just use the jog as a power feed if I was so inclined, but it's been a good year and I haven't done anything as I put an addition on my house and the hobby took a back seat for a while. I hope to get out and get this thing going again before winter's end. Anyway, sorry for the long post and good luck with your machine. I'll get those pics up for you in the next day or two.